of a heavily laden air. In this way moisture gathers on the ceilings of some caverns and drops to the floors, causing wet spots, but in very few places. The predominating formations are of limestone,

and visitors derive considerable satisfaction from viewing the calcite crystals, exposed geodes, box-work forms, and innumerable other beautiful formations.

During the fiscal year the work performed under the supervision of my predecessor and myself can be briefly stated as follows: The building for the use of the public as a waiting and registration building has been completed.

Repairing of stairways within the cave and the building of new stairs and landings where necessery.

Building of an ice house, size 12 by 12 feet, 10 feet high.

Air H 10"dia

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Five miles of road was reshaped and smoothed, about one-half mile of which was made new in the process of straightening.

An underground reservoir of masonry 1 foot thick, with capacity of 450 barrels, was built and connected to a new sanitary drinking fountain near public building and the former hydrants and outlets in yard and residence. None but galvanized pipe was used in this system, and all conductor pipe was placed to a depth of 4 feet. The pipe is gradually reduced from 2 inches at outlet of reservoir to three-fourths inch at hydrants. The new reservoir is located 70 feet above and 300 feet distant from the park residence.

Screen doors and windows have been put on the public building and board fence adjoining same has been painted to conform with the color of the building.

The water pipe which was laid from the yard of the residence to pasture across road last year became clogged through freezing and burst, and was taken up. I considered it impracticable to use halfinch pipe and have substituted therefor some eave trough and spouting which was here, to conduct the waste water from drinking fountain to trough in pasture during the summer months.

The supervisor's office and all the rest of the rooms of the residence have been painted and porch and window screen repaired and painted.

Various other work of minor importance has been performed.

BUILDINGS.

The buildings are in a good state of repair except the supervisor's residence, the upstairs portion of which is still unfinished. It contains six rooms and is substantially constructed of stone obtained from within the park.

Other buildings in the park are as follows:

One building for registration and use of public visitors, containing three rooms.

One small, rectangular, open pavilion to provide shade was built expressly for the use of tourists who come from long distances and who necessarily have to stop at headquarters and lunch in order to take time to see the cave.

A small frame house over the entrance to the cave.

A good barn, with room for 5 head of horses, hay loft, and carriage room.

A small log tool house and blacksmith shop combined.

An ice house, size 12 by 12 by 10 feet.

The pavilion, public building, and ice house are new; the supervisor's residence and barn are but a few years old, and all are in good condition.

WATER SUPPLY.

The source of water supply is a spring about one-half mile west of and 150 feet higher than the park residence. The old pipe line from the spring to the new reservoir is still used. It is of three-fourthinch galvanized pipe, and unless too near the surface in some places to afford protection from frost in winter will suffice for some years.

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The capacity of spring is now about 40 barrels a day, though after a long period of excessively dry weather it has run as low as 4 barrels a day, the least it has been known to produce since its discovery. Having repaired the old tank, which holds 350 barrels, and connected same to new system, we now have storage for about 800 barrels of water, which, with the varying capacity of the spring, assures the park ample for all needs and a reasonable degree of protection from fire for the buildings.

ROADS AND BRIDGES.

There is but one main road through the park, extending from the north to the south, about through the center and passing headquarters. From the regions south and east this is the route to all of the Black Hills country and to much country in Wyoming and Montana. This road is of dirt and was before the heavy rains in June the best stretch of road between Custer and Hot Springs, but is at present in need of repair, which is now being done. The road both north and south of park limits has recently been greatly improved for a distance of 20 miles either way, and the increase of automobile travel as a result is very marked. The traffic is mostly by automobile and is increasing rapidly. Many parties that go through are bound for the many places of interest in the mountain regions to the north and have camp equipage packed in their cars.

In addition to this through automobile traffic, visitors to the cave are brought to the park from Hot Springs principally by automobile. Owners of cars desiring to bring visitors to the cave are required to take out a license for that purpose. At present nine automobiles are in use for that purpose.

The spring and summer season has been so cold and the weather so excessively rainy that so far this year there has been a much lighter attendance to the cave and the Hot Springs resort than usual.

VISITORS.

For the year ended June 30, 1915, the total number of registered visitors to the cave was 2,817. Of these 2,060 came during the three summer months-July and August of 1914 and June of 1915. It is the custom for an authorized guide (or guides) to conduct these visitors through the cave during these summer months, and as a trip therein requires about three hours but two trips each day are undertaken. The established time for entrance to the cave is at 9 o'clock in the morning and 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Each visitor pays a fee of 50 cents for entrance, and these fees are remitted to the department, the guides being upon a salary basis during the months of most attendance.

Many camping parties pass through the park with team and wagon, but on account of the lack of running water and scarcity of dead wood these people stop along the northern boundary and are not strictly within the park. It has been the custom not to encourage this class of traffic to stay longer than necessary, on account of the danger of fires. There is no record of campers who have stayed